Confinement
by The Amazing McCormick
Summary: All over the world, adolescents with the potential to become heroes have been kidnapped. The Team is no exception. With no memories of who they were before their confinement, they fight through the only place they know towards an uncertain future.
1. Chapter 1

SUBJECT FILES:

**DS-S001**

Name: Artemis Crock

Codename: Artemis

Age: 15

Sex: Female

Regular meals.

No special abilities.

No notes

**DS-S002**

Name: Wallace West

Codename: Kid Flash

Age: 15

Sex: Male

One additional meal per day. (See DS-S006)

Special abilities include: hyper speed, advanced healing, high metabolism.

To combat hyper speed, sensors placed in walls to send out anti-speed vibrations.

**DS-S003**

Name: Richard Grayson

Codename: Robin

Age: 13

Sex: Male

Regular meals.

No special abilities.

No notes.

**DS-S004**

Name: Conner Kent

Codename: Superboy

Age: 16

Sex: Male

Regular meals

Special abilities include: Super strength, invulnerability

Kryptonian. To combat super strength, walls of cell have been laced with small amounts of kryptonite. In no way detrimental to subject's health.

**DS-S005**

Name: Kaldur'ahm

Codename: Aqualad

Age: 17

Sex: Male

Regular meals

Special abilities include: Water manipulation through "water-bearers", electricity.

Atlantean. "Water-bearers" confiscated, kept in Storage 64, Vault 7, File A-16

**DS-S006**

Name: M'gann M'orzz

Codename: Miss Martian

Age: 16

Sex: Female

One meal a day (Extra meal given to DS-S002)

Special abilities include: telepathy, telekinesis, shape-shifting, camouflage

Martian. To combat telepathic abilities, chemical surgery performed upon arrival. Failed. Second option taken up. Wires placed within walls, radiate energy to suppress Martian abilities.

Failed surgery had consequences: meant to remove ability to use telepathy. Instead, removed ability to speak.

* Note from the head scientist: consequence not a problem. The perfect soldier does not need to talk.

No measures to be taken to fix verbal issue

Days in confinement: 247


	2. Chapter 2

The harsh onslaught of light and ear-splitting whine of the morning alarm jolted her from another dreamless slumber. The panel above her cell door lit up with a blue light. Slowly, she turned her head towards the screen. One by one, letters appeared, spelling out the message she could recite by heart.

**Good morning, DS-S006**

**6:00 AM**

In the next minute, the first line faded, leaving only the time. There would be no new message until it was time to go to bed at 8:00 PM.

She sat up, turning towards the section of wall behind her headboard. She studied the pattern of lines and dashes engraved there before picking up the scrap of metal she had broken from the frame of the bed and adding a dash. Eyes scanning the sequence, she quickly calculated the number of markings. Today made two hundred. One mark for each day.

She knew she had been in this place longer than two hundred days. She hadn't started marking days until well into her imprisonment. But, she didn't know how many days she had been here before she started marking. She couldn't remember a day she wasn't in here.

Her hand worked at the new dash, engraving it much deeper than needed. When her knuckles scraped against the concrete, she stopped. Self-mutilation was not tolerated here. If she scraped her hand too much, the black suits would come in and drug her. It had happened before, when she broke the bedframe. The sharp metal had stuck in her hand, drawing out a dark green liquid, darker than the green of her skin. In an instant, the black suits had come in, stuck a needle in her arm, and knocked her out. When she came to, she was lying on her bed. The wound had completely disappeared. The metal piece was still there, though. She prided herself in the ability to hide it from the black suits.

A few days later, when she thought the black suits had forgotten, she took out the metal and marked the wall.

When she finished the dash, she replaced the metal in its spot inside of her pillow.

At 3:00, the concrete door of her cell opened. In slid a package, held together with a rubber band. She picked up the package and walked over to one corner of her cell; the shower. A slot opened in the wall next to the shower, a slot about four inches tall and one foot wide. She undressed, pushing her old clothes into the slot. The package held her new clothes, to be opened and adorned when she was clean. She stepped in the metal stall of her shower. Along the wall were a series of buttons; the red button, for hot water, the blue button, for cold water, the green button, for soap. Selecting the cold water, she washed herself of the grime and sweat that came from living in air-tight, concrete cells.

After five minutes, her time was up, and the water shut off. She dried off with the towel supplied and put on her new clothes, the gray shirt with her code, gray pants, combat boots, and the necessary undergarments, and tied her hair up with the rubber band. However, just as she was about to head to the other side of her cell, the side with her bed, she heard something. Coming from the shower pipe, there was a metal echo, like someone, somewhere, had struck a pipe. Tentatively, she walked over to the shower head and tapped the pipe. The same metal sound occurred, but seemed to go the other way. Slowly, she walked back to her bed.

At 7:00, her meal came. When she was finished, she pushed the tray into a corner. It would be gone tomorrow.

At 8:00, the panel displayed a new message.

**Good night, DS-S006**

**8:00 PM**

The sleep came soon after, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

><p>The familiar drone of the alarm and activation of the lights woke him immediately. He was up in an instant, ready to start today's exercise. He pay no attention to the message above his door; he knew what it would say.<p>

At 7:00, his first meal came. Every day, every meal, it was the same. Some sort of meat patty, a few leaves of lettuce, and a biscuit, with a bottle of water.

When he was finished, he placed the tray by his bed. When his evening meal came, the second tray would be placed there, too.

He began his daily exercise routine.

At 3:00, the clothes packet slid through the door.

He prepared for his shower.

Once his water shut off, he got dressed.

A small puddle had formed outside of the shower area, and the floor was slick. When he stepped out of the shower, his foot flew out from under him, and he fell.

He crashed to the ground, the impact drawing a grunt of pain from him. He jumped to his feet, teeth bared at nothing

Things like that fall-things he could have avoided, had he been sharper- aggravated him, and he took out his frustration on the shower head.

The punch he delivered bent the shower head sideways, and the sound of flesh on metal echoed through the plumbing.

He whirled and stalked back towards his bed. However, before he was out of earshot, there came a noise from the shower. It was a small echo, like someone, somewhere close, was tapping on the pipe.

He tried to dismiss it as a mistake; he dreamed it, that's all.

But he still thought about it.

At 7:00, when his evening meal came, he ate quickly, still pondering the noise. Aside from the meals and clothes, he had had no contact with anyone or anything. A small hope built up inside of him at the thought that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't alone. Somewhere else, somewhere close by, someone was living this same dreary, monotonous, singular hell that he was living.

At 8:00, when lights out came, he climbed into his bed without any other thoughts. The hope kept him smiling as he drifted off to sleep.

The letters on the panel above the door disappeared one by one, though their message was not needed.

**Good night, DS-S003**

**8:00 PM**


	3. Chapter 3

The alarm sounded the next morning, rousing her from a dreamless, restless sleep. She sighed as she struggled to pull herself out of the bed to start another day.

She rolled out of bed, marked the wall, and began the daily routine.

At 3:00, when the clothes packet arrived, yesterday's curious events resurfaced in her mind. As the ice-like water pounded on her back, she thought about the chances of it happening again.

When her water shut off, she dried and got dressed. Before walking back to her bed, she turned to the shower again. She stood there, watching the shower carefully, wondering if a noise would come again.

Silence.

Feeling slightly dejected, she trudged back to her bed.

_Taptap_

What?

She jumped up and rushed over to the shower. After a moment, the taps came again.

She tapped hard on the pipe, signaling to the other person that she was listening. After a moment, she got another reply; a series of frantic taps, forming a sequence.

Listening carefully, she realized there was a pattern to the taps.

Quickly, she ran over to her bed and grabbed the metal piece, then ran back to the shower. The tapping stopped, then recommenced. She scratched the pattern of taps into the metal shower siding.

When the taps finished, she studied the message.

She had spaced the markings out according to the amount of time in between taps. She ran over the pattern in her head.

There was something about the pattern, she knew it meant something.

What was it?

The taps came once more. She listened to them, following their sequence with her ears and eyes.

She tapped her own fingers against the floor as well, struggling to recall the significance.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, long space, tap, long space, tap, tap, space, tap, tap…

Short tap, short tap, short tap, short tap, break, short tap, break, short tap, long tap, short tap, short tap…

She rewrote her sequence with new symbols according to this new line of thought.

…. . .-.. .-.. -

Her eyes widened. _Morse code._

While she couldn't remember anything before living in this place, her brain had retained useful knowledge, such as vocabulary, mathematics, logic, and most aspects of common sense. Morse code was another thing she remembered.

She jumped up and reached for the shower head, tapping the same message this person had sent her.

Nothing happened.

She waited, anxiously staring at the shower head, as if the contraption itself was speaking, instead of some other person.

Finally, a sound came.

She rushed to record the message. Now that she knew what she was listening to, she knew how to record it.

.- …. - / .- .-. . / -.- - ..-

_Who are you_

She knew she should be wary. She couldn't be sure if she was talking to a black suit, a scientist, or…

But, what if it was another inmate?

She decided that's what she would say.

.. -. - .- - .

A reply came quickly.

- . / - - -

_Me too_

This other person wasn't willing to give more information, and neither was she.

She sat by the shower, thinking of what to say to that.

Finally, she decided to ask a question. It hadn't necessarily been something she needed to know, but, now that she thought of it, she couldn't get it out of her head.

... - .- / .-.. - -. -.

_How long_

A reply came slowly.

-. - - / ... ..- .-. .

_Not sure_

A minute passed, and the other person amended their answer.

..- ..- ...

_225_

She knew the number was a guess. Still, it was near the same amount of time as she had been there. Maybe, considering her questionable timekeeping, they had been there for the same amount of time.

… .- - .

_Same_

They passed a few messages back and forth before calling it quits for the day. Before stopping, they decided to continue tomorrow at the same time.

At 7:00, the meal came.

At 8:00, she slept.

* * *

><p>He awoke the next morning with the same thought on his mind.<p>

The noise.

What if there really was a person over there?

What if it was someone like him?

He started planning for his next move.

What should I do if someone answers?

How do I communicate?

Well, that one was easy. The only way you can communicate with taps. Morse code.

He ate his breakfast without thought of much else.

After what seemed like forever, the door opened, and his clothes packet slid in.

He rushed to the shower, washed himself hurriedly, and then dried and got dressed.

Then, he chickened out.

Should he?

There was no way of knowing whether or not the person on the other end, if there even was one, was listening in the first place.

What if it wasn't someone like him?

What if it was someone that would get him in trouble?

He walked over to his bed and sat down, sighing. Then, he stood up, walked halfway to the shower, turned around, and sat down again.

He stood up, made it all of the way to the shower, and then sat down on the floor, looking up at the showerhead with a strange sort of longing.

Finally, he worked up the guts to stand up. He raised his hand to the shower pipe, took a deep breath, and knocked on the cold metal.

No answer.

Sighing, he closed his eyes. Obviously, there wasn't anyone there.

He turned to go back to his bed, and then stopped.

Maybe one more time…

He tapped on the pipe again.

This time, an answer came immediately.

The frantic tapping told him that the person wanted to make sure he knew they were there.

He raised his hand to the pipe and tapped in a message.

_Hello._

* * *

><p>For days after that, they communicated in such a manner.<p>

Neither of them could carry on a good conversation; neither of them knew much to talk about. Most of their conversations went in circles.

But that was okay. Just their small conversations were enough to keep them along.

He was getting restless, though. Having conversations with someone outside the cell made him realize that the world was bigger than this cell, and his drive to get out was stronger than ever.

And so, against his better judgment, he brought it up with her.

_You like here?_

_Why?_

He stopped. He didn't want to sound too suspicious. Carefully, he picked out his words. He raised his hand, when another reply came.

_Do you?_

He amended his answer.

_No_

There was silence. Then;

_Does it matter?_

He had to be sure he interpreted her message right.

Of course it mattered! How could she think that life outside of this hellhole was unimportant?

_Yes._

_What is out there?_

Her reply came so quickly, he almost missed the first part.

_Not sure._ He really wasn't sure, but it had to be better than this.

_You'll find out. _It wasn't a question, he knew.

_Yeah_

There was silence again. He thought she had left.

_Oh_

Oh? That's all?

But a second reply came.

_What will you do?_

_Escape. _His reply was instant.

_What about me?_

What about her? He didn't know her, not really. What did she expect from him?

_Find your own._

_You won't help._ Again, not a question.

_No. I'll leave._

_You don't trust me?_ Definitely a question, and an incredulous one at that. How she had managed to deduce that from their choppy conversation, he couldn't tell. It didn't matter; it was true.

_No._


	4. Chapter 4

She hadn't communicated with the other inmate for days.

Sometimes, she would sit by the shower, just waiting, hoping for a new message.

Obviously, their last conversation hadn't sat well with them, either.

Why, though?

Why didn't the other inmate trust her?

It did make sense, she thought. For all she knew, he could be a black suit.

Or a scientist.

And, honestly, that could be taken both ways. The inmate probably didn't trust her for the same reason.

Still, she wished he would. Because, even though she didn't know who the other person was, she trusted him.

She gasped as she realized the truth in that thought. _She trusted him._

She trusted him enough that she had even thought about escape.

She followed his footsteps, planning, devising, and longing for something new.

What the hell? She wasn't supposed to think those things. The scientists provided for her, took care of her…

And kept her locked in a cell like an animal.

She gritted her teeth.

This is what he meant. This hatred, this distaste, this loathing of the cell, the black suits, and everything they symbolized.

Her eyes flew to her pillow. Ever since the inmate had brought up escape, she had been thinking of this.

She was strong, probably stronger than the black suits. She could fight them off.

Couldn't she?

* * *

><p>His fingers closed around the shower head. He wanted desperately to talk to the other person, but he felt he couldn't.<p>

The other person probably didn't want to talk to him, not after what happened.

He had meant to be truthful, albeit blunt, with his response, but, after he replied, he knew that it was harsh.

He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, or anything.

And…

He missed her.

True, escape was definitely something he wanted, and was probably capable of, but it was far off. In the meantime, it would be nice to have someone to talk to.

But he had blown his chances.

* * *

><p>She took a deep breath. She knew that now was the time, too much time had been wasted already.<p>

She rushed over to the shower, closed her eyes, and tapped in the message that she had been replaying in her head for the past few days.

_I trust you._

_I am DS-S006_

She had just admitted who she was. She just told him the secret they had been keeping from each other.

Just in case she failed.

Now that the first step was over, there was no time to waste.

She reached for the metal.

_Please, let this work._

She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the tip to her shoulder, applying pressure.

She gasped as the point broke skin. She could feel the liquid running down her arm.

When nothing happened, she dragged the point along her flesh, halfway to her elbow.

That got a response. In an instant, the door to her cell flew open, and two black suits rushed in. One had a needle raised.

Before he could inject her, she lashed out. She knocked the needle from his hand, effectively knocking him hard in the neck in the process.

The syringe clattered to the floor. The remaining suit lunged for it. So did she.

When she realized he was going to reach it first, she kicked out, landing a good hit to his stomach. He doubled over, giving her enough time to grab the needle. She used the metal, which was still in her hand, to tear open part of his suit, exposing flesh. She injected him.

The black suit groaned, becoming unconscious.

As soon as she was sure he wasn't getting up, she checked on the other. They were both out cold.

She stepped out the door.

The hallway around her was the same gray concrete as her cell, with doors placed at random locations. Whatever she had thought the outside would look like, this was not it.

She wondered what the other inmate would think when he saw this.

It was then that she realized the flaw in her plan. She had intended to break out, then break him out.

But she didn't know where he was.

Closing her eyes, she tried to think. Basic knowledge wouldn't help her here.

She opened her eyes and looked around. Maybe…

Then she saw the pipe.

It was a white pipe, coming out of the wall by her cell. It bent downward into the floor.

When she looked down the hall, a pipe of the same sort came out of the floor and went into a wall by a door.

Hell, it was a long shot, but it was the only thing she had to go on.

She walked to the door.

Did she really want to do this? It wasn't like he would ever know the difference.

But she had come this far.

She pressed a button by the door marked "Open".

* * *

><p>When her message came through, he had to rush to interpret the whole thing. When he did, he realized what she had just done.<p>

_She wants me to know who she is. In case I never talk to her again._

He sat on the floor, trying to decide what to do next.

Should he reply?

No, definitely not. She might not even be around to hear it.

He realized what he had just thought.

_She might not be around to hear it? Why not? What's she going to do, anyway?_

The thought of scientists, angry at the actions of the inmate, and possibly _punishing_ her… it scared him. She was his only acquaintance. If he let himself think too deeply, he might even have called her a _friend_.

He stood up. He had to think of _something_. He couldn't wait around any longer.

But then, his door opened.


	5. Chapter 5

The food tray slid halfway through the door.

From outside, he could hear the shouts of the guards.

"Put the whole place on lockdown! DS-S006 has escaped!"

His eyes widened.

_DS-S006? No way._

He punched the wall next to him. _She_ escaped first? That wasn't possible!

He groaned. Unbelievable.

He wouldn't stand for this. He had to get out. Now.

But how?

It wasn't like he hadn't tried before. He had. But he couldn't make it outside the cell, much less to the outside world. How could-

The sound of metal clanking on concrete stopped him. He turned towards the noise.

The food tray was caught under the door, keeping it from closing all of the way. He rushed to the door, hooking his fingers under the gap.

Groaning, he pulled as hard as he could, but to no avail. The door only opened another inch or two.

He needed leverage.

He spun around, scanning the room for anything that could be used to prop the door up. Obviously, there wouldn't be anything labeled "Door Lever", but he had learned how to improvise.

His eyes went to the bed. The metal frame would serve nicely.

Quickly, he pulled the bed over to the door. He shoved the mattress and blanket away, leaving only the framework. He set to work propping up the bed so that part of it was wedged underneath the door. When he felt it was secure, he pulled. The door raised a few more inches. Still, he needed more force.

He positioned himself between the bedframe and the door, standing on a part of the frame itself. He placed both hands on either side of the frame. Once he was sure he was ready, he braced a foot against the door. When he was secure with that foot, he braced his other foot against the door, too.

He pushed as hard as he could, lifting the door with all of his strength. The door began to rise, and he lost his balance. At the same time, the bedframe broke, and he tumbled to the floor.

He groaned. Great, now what?

However, there was a breeze, a change in air flow, that hadn't been there before. He looked at the door.

Whoa.

There was a huge gap between the door and the ground. The crumpled bedframe served to prop the door open more than the tray, and there was now a space about a foot tall to crawl through.

It was just enough.

* * *

><p>"Who are you?"<p>

This was not him. She didn't know how she knew it, but she did. This was not the person she was looking for.

Still, this person was familiar. It was strange; she didn't know anyone outside of her cell, save for the other inmate, and, other than the black suits, she had never seen anyone else.

But this person, this strange, new person, was familiar.

This wasn't possible.

She studied him. The first thing she noticed was his code; DS-S005. So very similar to hers. The second thing she noticed was his skin, a dark brown color that made her double-check that hers was actually green. This couldn't be _normal_, could it?

No, she decided quickly. Her eyes had continued to ghost over his form, and, when noticing his black marks on his arms, she decided that he wasn't normal. Still, neither was she. That she knew.

"Who are you?" he asked again. His voice was clear and deep; comforting. Some sort of deep-felt trust welled up inside of her. She wanted to tell him; she wanted to answer him.

She opened her mouth.

There was no sound.

Her hands flew to her mouth, and she panicked. Why couldn't she do it? Why couldn't she speak?

He could see her distress. Her hands were clenched at her mouth; her eyes were wide. He had no idea who she was, but he felt the need to comfort her.

Slowly, he walked over to her. He gently raised his hand to her arm.

At his touch, she lowered her hands, looking up into his eyes.

"It is okay."

With her arms at her sides, he could see her code clearly. DS-S006.

"Your code and mine… It cannot be a coincidence that they are so alike."

She nodded.

He would have tried to find out more, but they heard voices in the distance.

"She escaped! Find her now! We can't afford anyone else getting out!"

He looked at her. "You?"

She shrugged, then, hesitantly, nodded.

She started backing out of the room, trying to find a way out of the mess she had gotten herself into. The last thing she wanted was to drag him into this, too.

But, it seemed, that was exactly what he had in mind.

He stepped out of the room. "I'm coming."

She looked at him, confused. Why would he risk everything to help her?

He must have understood her question by the look in her eyes. "I do not know. But I will help."

"There she is!"

"Damn, she's already found him! Is there anyone else she could have let out?"

"Forget it, just get them!"

* * *

><p>He followed the guards through the halls. None of them had caught him yet; he seemed to have some sort of deep-set knack for sneaking around.<p>

Up ahead, the guards had stopped. There was more yelling.

There were two inmates standing in front of the guards. One was a guy with dark skin and black tattoos on his arms, the other was a girl with red hair and green skin.

_Who are these people?_

He would need to get around these guards. He had a gut feeling that these people were important. But, how-

A guard turned.

Okay, time for Plan B.

He turned, ready to run.

Wait, not a good idea. More guards back there.

He felt a blow to his back. Probably should have been more careful.

A guard grabbed him, holding him tightly so he couldn't escape. The grip was crushing him, and he couldn't breathe.

* * *

><p>She saw the smaller boy become trapped, saw him gasp for breath, saw the guar pull out a syringe…<p>

No.

_No!_

Stop.

Don't hurt him.

Stop!

"_Leave him alone!"_

The shout rang out through the minds of the guards and the inmates.

The guards crumpled. The dark-skinned one grasped his head in pain. The smaller boy gasped, both in pain and relief.

Sighing, she fell to the ground, exhausted.

* * *

><p>A blonde girl clutched her head.<p>

"What was that?" she whispered.

And why did she want to find the source?

* * *

><p>The ginger boy awoke suddenly. He couldn't remember what woke him up, but three words rang out in his head.<p>

Leave him alone.

Leave who alone? Was someone in trouble?

* * *

><p>His head pounded. What happened?<p>

Someone's voice… in his head?

And he couldn't tell why, but a word stuck out in his head.

_M'gann._


	6. Chapter 6

She opened her eyes slowly, the bright lights from the ceiling making her squint. Everything was fuzzy, and she had a hard time distinguishing the lights from the ceiling. That was, until the lights were blocked out by the shadow of someone leaning over her.

It was the dark haired boy. The one the guard had been strangling. He was alive! Wasn't he? Or maybe she was dead…

He watched her for a little while before nodding to himself, most likely deciding she was, in fact, conscious. He then called to the other; "Hey! She's alright."

Now, her view was obstructed by another person; the dark skinned one with the marks on his arms. Slowly, this one reached down to her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he gently tried propping her up. "Can you sit up?"

Pushing his arm away, she shakily rose to her feet. She took a few weak, staggering steps before collapsing. The one with the marks caught her before she completely hit the floor.

"Hey," the smaller one spoke, "Take it easy."

She sat on the floor, looking up at the other two. They both sat in front of her.

"I believe… introductions are in order?" The taller one with marks spoke.

"Or something like that, though we," The smaller one laughed, gesturing to himself and the girl, "Are already fairly acquainted." He stopped, thinking. "However, on another note, the first five digits of our codes are _all_ the same? What are the chances of that?" He turned to her. "What do you think?"

She nodded, wishing she could answer. She opened her mouth, then closed it. It was no use.

The two saw her attempt. They looked at each other, then back at her.

"You… can't speak. Okay." He turned to the dark skinned one. "You could've told me."

"It slipped my mind. I am sorry."

"Uh-huh. It slipped your mind." He stopped. "She… can't speak. Wait. So, how come you screamed at those guards?"

"Yes. How was that possible?"

She shook her head, then shrugged.

"You don't know. Not helpful."

She sighed, leaning back against the wall.

The two others started talking between themselves.

"What do you think happened?" The smaller one asked.

"I am not sure. I can't even be sure that I heard it. It could have been in my head."

She watched them talk. What was it that she wanted to say? Somehow she had forgotten something she realized back when she first woke up. What…?

She breathed out, wishing desperately to be able to speak.

She needed their attention. She needed to ask something.

She hit the floor with her hand. The slap echoed through the halls.

They both turned. "What?"

She sighed, then started. She pointed to the smaller one first, then held up three fingers. She pointed to the other, and then held up five. She pointed to herself, and held up six. Then, she held up one, then two, then four fingers, and then shrugged.

"What are you…"

"I get it!" the smaller one shouted. "You," he pointed to her, "are six. We are three and five. What about one, two, and four? Is there a seven? Eight? How many of us are there that have these codes?"

She nodded vigorously.

"But," the smaller one looked contemplative, "How could we find out? It's not like they've got a list or anything…"

"Or do they?" Somehow, the one with the marks had stood up, checked a guard, and found a small computerized device, all while the smaller one was talking. "These guards patrol these hallways. The hallways are… nondescript. They're all the same. The guards would most likely have a map and a list of inmates, and they'd keep such information near them at all times." He poked at the device. "Except, I don't know how to use these…"

"Let me see." The dark haired one took the device. He smiled as he worked away on breaking the security code. "Really, these guys need to up the ante. A child could break into these things." A list popped up on the screen. "Bingo!"

"But… how?"

"Hell if I know. It just, well, came to me." He slid his finger along the screen. "AS, BS, CS, ha, here we go, DS."

In front of them was a page with a list of codes

**Group DS**

**Chambers: 130-135**

**Captivity: 278 days**

**DS-S001**

**DS-S002**

**DS-S003**

**DS-S004**

**DS-S005**

**DS-S006**

"So, there are only six of us. I guess." He narrowed his eyes at the few words at the top of the screen. "Captivity? 278 days?" He shook his head. "It feels like we've been here so much longer."

"I cannot remember _not _being here." Out of curiosity, the taller one pressed his finger where his code was on the screen.

The layout of the screen went blank, then another page popped up.

**DS-S005**

**Name: Kaldur'ahm**

**Codename: Aqualad**

**Age: 17**

**Sex: Male**

**Regular meals**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Storage 64, Vault 7, File A-16**

The last lines were censored.

"Kaldur'ahm? Aqualad? Regular meals? What the hell…" The short one shook his head.

"What of the other ones?" the taller one, Kaldur'ahm, took the device from him and pressed another button. The menu they had seen before came up. Kaldur'ahm pressed another code, DS-S003.

**DS-S003**

**Name: Richard Grayson**

**Codename: Robin**

**Age: 13**

**Sex: Male**

**Regular meals.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The censored lines were much shorter this time.

"You," Kaldur'ahm showed the device to him.

He looked over the information. "Richard… my name is Richard." He couldn't help smiling to himself.

The girl pointed to a section of the file. Her finger indicated the "Regular meals". She held up her hands in a questioning motion.

"Hm?" Richard broke out of his thoughts to answer her. "Oh. Meals. Yeah, I get two meals a day. So does… Kal… dur'ahm. Right?" Kaldur'ahm nodded.

She snatched the device from Richard and found her own file. She needed to see if her meal regulations were the same. Richard and Kaldur'ahm looked over her shoulders.

**Name: M'gann M'orzz**

**Codename: Miss Martian**

**Age: 16**

**Sex: Female**

**One meal a day (Extra meal given to DS-S002)**

**Failed surgery had consequences: meant to remove ability to XXXXXXXXXX. Instead, removed ability to speak.**

*** Note from the head scientist: consequence not a problem. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**No measures to be taken to fix verbal issue.**

When they finished reading the file, their reactions were clear on their faces.

Kaldur'ahm looked shocked.

Richard looked angry.

The girl… M'gann, she looked horrified.

Kaldur'ahm lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, trying to hide his own disgust. She needed guidance now. Even though he felt anger build up inside of him at the thought of someone purposefully taking away a vital ability, speech, he knew he should keep calm.

Richard could tell. He could tell that Kaldur'ahm was just as angry as he was. Richard took a deep breath. He should follow Kaldur'ahm's lead, keep calm. Not let on his emotions.

M'gann was nearly shaking. She struggled with herself, trying to keep from breaking down.

She set the device down and leaned back, closing her eyes. She focused on keeping her breathing even.

It didn't work.


	7. Chapter 7

_This chapter is dedicated to Vatala Darkmist._

* * *

><p>"We need to go."<p>

Richard's abrupt statement broke M'gann and Kaldur'ahm out of their thoughts. M'gann's breakdown had ceased, and the only reason they had been sitting around was that nobody really wanted to move. The ecstasy of learning their identities, giving them a sense of self, had worn off, and the now-prominent dilemma before them cast a shadow over their moods.

Both of them looked to Richard. M'gann nodded, but Kaldur'ahm looked apprehensive.

"How… _exactly_ do you propose we do that?"

Richard shook his head. "I'm not sure, but we need to _move_, at least. Any second now, more guards are going to come barreling down that hallway to capture us. Again."

Kaldur'ahm and M'gann rose to their feet. "Are there not blueprints on that device? A… map of some sort? We will need one to escape."

"Let's check." Richard said.

The device was still at M'gann's feet. She leaned over to pick it up.

"We're definitely going to need _some_ sort of floor plan. Hey, Kaldur'ahm, what d'you-" Richard was cut off when M'gann let out a startled hiss of air and jumped backwards. She scrambled away from the device, breathing heavily.

"Hey, hey. What happened?" Richard feared that maybe, some sort of unforeseen defense measures kicked in for the device, and maybe it had hurt her.

That did not seem to be the issue. M'gann shakily raised her hand in front of her, pointing to the device. However, when she pointed, the contraption began to float in the air. Richard and Kaldur both gasped. M'gann drew her hand back quickly, and the device dropped.

"Wh-what the… Was that you?" Richard asked.

Frantically, M'gann shook her head. She paused for a second, and then nodded. And then she shook her head again. Finally, she just shrugged, a look of terror on her face.

_Was that… me?_

Again, Kaldur took it upon himself to comfort her. However, Richard was watching her warily.

_She shouts in people's head; she moves things without touching them… What is she? And… is she the only one?_

The three were once again jolted from their personal thoughts when the device buzzed. They looked at each other.

Richard stepped up and looked at the screen. A new window had popped up: Incoming Signal.

Was someone trying to call?

No. Nonononono. If someone was trying to call, then they would notice if the person never picked up. If they suspected something was wrong…

"We need to go _now._" Richard said suddenly.

The urgency in his voice caused M'gann and Kaldur'ahm to react immediately. They all started down one hallway.

Kaldur'ahm stopped. "What of the others?"

Richard whirled. "What about them? If we don't go soon, we're back in the cells."

"We should set the others free." Kaldur'ahm stood his ground.

Richard sighed exasperatedly. "Sure. We should set _everyone_ in this whole _facility_ free." He met Kaldur'ahm's eyes. Though the elder of the two far surpassed the younger in height, Richard's sure gaze made Kaldur'ahm believe they were equals.

"They are not our problem. We need to take care of ourselves." Richard turned and started walking forward again. "Come on, M'ga- M'gann? What are you doing?"

M'gann had walked further down the hallway and was standing in front of a door. This door had the same appearance as each of their cell doors, with the number "133" printed to the side.

She looked to Richard with an expectant but wary expression on her face.

"What? Not you, too." Richard groaned. "Seriously? Do you guys really expect us to be able to release everyone here? We don't even know how many people are in here!"

"Even if we do not know, we do know how many people are in our 'group'. Should we not at least set the rest of us free?" Kaldur'ahm said, walking to join M'gann.

Richard stood, watching them for a moment. Finally, he spoke.

"Fine. Kaldur'ahm, you get the next door… 131, I think. I'll get 130. M'gann, wai-" The girl had already set two doors open, and was making her way to the last. Kaldur'ahm and Richard couldn't help but notice the excited smile on her face.

Richard shook his head. "We really don't have time for this…" He walked to the first door that was opened.

Sitting on the bed was a boy. He looked to be closer to Kaldur'ahm's age than Richard's. His hair was black, and his eyes were blue. He looked to be pretty well built.

When he laid eyes on Richard, he immediately tensed up. Richard held up both hands in a surrendering gesture.

"Hey, don't worry. We're here to help."

"Help?" The other's voice was somewhat raspy with lack of use. "How are you supposed to help?"

"Look, I'm trying to figure that out myself." Richard scratched the back of his neck nervously. "But, ah, we're gonna fly the coop. You coming?"

After a moment, the other one stood up and walked to the door.

"Okay."

Richard pulled up the list on the device and scanned for the new arrival's code. "You're… Conner." "Conner" looked at Richard dubiously. "What? It's right here! DS-S004. Conner Kent. Superboy."

"Superboy?"

"Yeah, not sure about that either. Come on, let's go!" Richard made his way to the next door.

"Go? Go where? Are we going somewhere?" The next inhabitant was already out the door.

"Zero-Two. You're Wallace." Richard told him.

"Wally." The redhead corrected.

Richard turned. "What?"

"Wally. Short for Wallace. What's your name?" Wally smiled.

"Uh… Richard." Richard said slowly.

"Dick. Nickname for Richard. Unless you wanna be called Rich?"

Dick waved him off. "Just Richard." Wally pouted slightly. "Okay, fine! Dick! Why does it matter?"

Wally smiled again. "Trust me, man. It suits you."

Before Dick could come back with a snarky response, M'gann came down the hall with the final group member.

A girl, probably about Wallace-Wally's age, with long blonde hair. Her shirt bore the code DS-S001. Her pace was slow and careful, as if she didn't quite trust what was in front of her.

M'gann motioned to the new girl and shrugged. Dick's better-than-average powers of deduction told him that M'gann wanted to know the new girl's name.

"Right. DS-S001. Artemis Crock."

"Artie!" Wally said, his habit of creating nicknames kicking in.

Artemis leveled him with a glare. "Artemis."

Wally backed up. "Okay. Artemis."

Artemis turned to Kaldur'ahm and Dick. "What's going on?"

"We're busting out. Come with us, or stay in your cell. Your choice." Dick said coolly.

Artemis nodded and joined the group.

"I do believe introductions are in order… again." Dick said. "So, either you introduce yourself, or I introduce you. Let's make this quick." He pointed to himself. "Richard Grayson."

"Dick." Wally murmured. Dick silenced him.

Wally spoke up next. "I'm Wallace West. You can call me Wally."

Kaldur'ahm was after that. "I am Kaldur'ahm."

Wally grunted in disgust. "What's with these long names? I'm going to call you Kaldur, 'kay?"

Kaldur looked at Wally, bewildered.

"Conner." The next person spoke.

"Uh… Artemis? I guess." Artemis ran a hand through her hair.

An awkward silence settled over the group as the three new members turned expectantly to M'gann. She opened her mouth, then shut it quickly, She dropped her eyes to the floor.

"Well?" Artemis said, waiting to hear the other girl introduce herself.

"Ah, her name is M'gann!" Dick rushed to M'gann's rescue.

Artemis turned eyes on Dick. "You don't need to speak for everyone. I want to hear it from her." She walked towards M'gann again. "Introduce yourself."

"She cannot." Kaldur's voice startled everyone. "She has lost the ability to speak."

Shock. Artemis raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh. Oh, God. I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Everyone else rushed to apologize. The flurry of words bombarded Dick, giving him a headache. Kaldur noticed the younger's distress, and quickly silenced everyone.

"Enough!" Everyone shut up. "Now is not the time. It is imperative that we leave, before we are re-captured. We must make our escape _now._"

They exchanged glances. "Okay!" Wally said, fist-pumping. "Let's go!" He turned to start running down the hall-

-And promptly ran into the wall at the end of the hall less than a second later.

Problem was, the distance from where they were standing to the wall where Wally hit was about a hundred feet.

Wally staggered to his feet from his place on the floor. "Gah, that hurt. Gotta watch where I'm going." He turned. "Don't laugh… Wait. How did you guys get all of the way over there?" He looked at the wall. "How did I get here…?"

Dick and Kaldur exchanged glances once more. First M'gann, now this…

What was going on here?


	8. Chapter 8

"So." Artemis said, calling all attention to herself, "Does anyone want to explain how Wally managed to go from zero to sixty in less than one second?" She crossed her arms over her chest, leveling her eyes specifically at Dick.

"Are you assuming _I_ knew something about this?" Dick's tone was just as accusatory as Artemis's had been.

Artemis cut her eyes towards Kaldur before meeting Dick's eyes once more. "I saw. You and Kaldur, the two of you know _something_."

"What makes you think that?" Dick took a step forward. He was about to say something else, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Kaldur placed himself in front of the younger boy. "Yes. We do know something." He looked at everyone standing around. "This is not the first… example of such abilities that we have seen."

Wally looked up into Kaldur's eyes. "What?"

Kaldur nodded.

"Who?" Wally, Artemis, and Conner spoke at once.

M'gann had been standing off to the side, watching the reactions of the new arrivals. At this news, they all quieted and retreated to their private thoughts.

Or, rather, for the rest of them it was quiet. However, for M'gann, everything was louder. Bits and pieces of thoughts made their way into her mind;

_Who? Who's the other?_

She gasped, then slapped a hand over her mouth. Luckily, nobody noticed her reaction. She took a deep breath to calm herself, reminding herself that this wasn't the first time that something like this happened.

This most likely wouldn't be the last.

She concentrated on the thoughts, marveling at this newfound ability.

_Might be… Kaldur. What's with those tattoos? Who has a name like "Kaldur", anyway?_

_What about the small boy? He knows too much…_

_M'gann._

She jumped when that one word, her name, pushed itself into her head. Behind that one word was a world of emotion; confidence, wonder, hesitation, and… _pity_.

_I wonder what happened. _Same "voice".

She sighed. _Me, too. _She thought, as if in reply to whoever was speaking.

Suddenly, Conner staggered, clutching his head.

The other five turned to him. "What is wrong?" Kaldur said.

Conner just looked at M'gann. She balked at the sudden attention turned towards her.

_What?_

Everyone jumped, holding their heads.

"What the hell?" Dick said. "What are you doing?"

_I-I'm sorry, I-_ When she realized she was doing it again, she immediately stopped. She placed her hands on each side of her head, as if she wanted to physically hold in the thoughts.

Everyone but Artemis backed away. The blonde handled the situation surprisingly well. Instead of retreating, she just stood, arms crossed, and watched the green girl.

"Well." She spoke, after a minute. "I guess that solves _that_ mystery."

"Geez." Dick slumped against a wall. "These things just keep coming and coming." He shook his head, smiling slightly. "But, whatever."

"That is not what matters here." Kaldur spoke up. "We must advance. There is no way to tell when another wave of guards will come."

"Guards? There are _guards? _Why the hell didn'tyoutellus?" Wally's speech sped up towards the end of his statement, to a point where it was nearly impossible to discern what he was saying.

"Hey. Slow down." Artemis drew out her words dramatically, like the redhead didn't know what "slow" was.

Wally scowled at her, though his expression lacked malice. Kaldur spoke up once more, before Wally had time to speak again.

"Yes. Shortly after our escape," Kaldur gestured to Dick, M'gann, and himself, "Guards were upon us. It is… interesting that they have not attacked again." He let the others digest this information before continuing. "It would be best if we made our escape quickly."

Dick nodded, pulling out the device from earlier. "This… thing holds files on all of us. Some parts of the files have been censored, though. Anyway, that's not what's important now. There's also a map. Every part of this entire… facility, laid out in front of us." He smiled. "Escape? Piece of cake."

Wally darted forward to grab the device. Dick stumbled backwards, not used to the boy's extreme speed.

Wally started flipping through files, reading up on everybody's files. "Okay. Looks like everybody in the DS group is accounted for…" he narrowed his eyes at the screen. "Why do some people have 'regular meals'? What meals do you guys have? I'm not listed for regular meals."

"Two meals a day." Dick stated, sounding bored. "You get three, M'gann gets one. We've been over this already."

"Well, _excuse _me!" Wally retorted. He paused, studying one file carefully. "What's in Storage 64, Vault 7, File A-16?"

Dick approached the other boy. "We're not sure. It's been censored."

Wally stepped back, tossing the device in the air like a baseball. "Let's find out."

"I am not sure if that is advisable." Kaldur stated.

"Oh, come on, man! It's under _your _file. Aren't you curious?"

Dick looked apprehensive. "Kaldur might be right… still, what if it's important? Hey, we've come this far. Maybe we _should_ check it out." He looked to the others for consent.

Conner shrugged. Artemis rolled her eyes. "If we get caught, it's on your head."

Megan nodded. Dick and Wally turned to Kaldur, eager expressions on their faces.

"Aren't you curious?" Wally repeated.

Kaldur sighed. "Are you sure?"

* * *

><p>"This hallway. Hurry, guys!" Wally stood at an intersection. The rest of the group filed into the storage vault.<p>

"Holy..." In front of them were walls and walls of cabinets. "There must be, like, hundreds! Thousands!" Wally said.

"Right. Fan out! Go!" Dick said. They split up.

"How are these organized? There's no system!" Artemis noted, examining one row of cabinets. The numbers of the row went from 180-199. However, above them were the numbers 340-359. Turning around, she saw that the cabinets behind her were labeled 1250-1269.

"Damn. It's a wild goose chase!" Wally sped next to her.

"I know!" Artemis said, stomping in frustration.

Conner ran up to the two of them. "Anything?" Artemis and Wally shook their heads. Without another word, Conner ran back the way he had come.

"Hey! Conner!" Dick shouted. The clone acknowledged him with a nod. "Find it?"

"No."

M'gann ran to Dick's other side, her hands held up in a questioning gesture. The boys both shook their heads. M'gann shook hers as well.

"This is hopeless! I never thought it would take this long. We need to leave." Dick ran back towards where Artemis and Wally were last seen. "Somebody find Kaldur."

Conner nodded and started towards the other end when something caused him to stop.

He concentrated, straining to hear.

_There_.

"Someone's coming!" he yelled, loud enough for everyone to hear. Dick, Artemis, and Wally ran to Conner.

"What?" Wally said.

"How can you tell?" Artemis asked, a mixture of fear and apprehension on her face.

"I-I can _hear_ them." Conner said slowly. The others looked at him, a million questions on their faces.

"Okay, guys!" Dick said, calling everyone to order. "Go time! Now!"

"Wait." Artemis stopped everyone. "Guys, where's Kaldur?"

"Crap!" Wally said.

"Find him! Now! If you can find a place to hide, do so! If not…" he trailed off. Everyone was already going.

The others didn't need him to finish. Everyone spread out, hoping to find their missing group member.

The unspoken word hung on each of their minds, silently echoing throughout the room.

_Run._


	9. Chapter 9

Kaldur slowly paced in between the shelves. In the distance, he could hear the others talking, though he was too far away to be able to discern exactly what they were saying. He busied himself with searching for the shelf. Row after row of identical shelves blended into one, and none held any earth-shattering discoveries.

He had probably heard the shouts from Conner and Dick, ordering everyone to move, escape. But he wasn't _listening_. Though it hadn't been his own idea to search for the… well… whatever they were looking for, the more he thought about it, the more Kaldur felt he _needed_ to find what was in that file.

It was the silence that shook him from his thoughts. The unnerving lack of any noise apart from his own breathing. The sudden quiet was foreboding, like the calm before the storm. He stopped and looked around, trying to catch sight of _something_, whether it be a flash of blonde hair, a brief sighting of Wally as he ran, a glimpse of green, but there was nothing.

And then, he heard the gunshot. He froze.

There was no sign of bullet impact near him, though this thought held no comfort. That meant that they weren't shooting at _him_…

All thoughts of the mysterious file vanished as Kaldur realized that the lives of his _friends_ were worth more than some slight piece of information in some stupid file. He sprinted to the end of the aisle, carefully looking around the corner to see if the guards were anywhere near him. Once he noted that all was clear, he ventured down the next aisle. He went as quickly as he could without attracting attention, since it would defeat the purpose of his rescue mission, yes, he decided that's what it was, to be caught before he could actually _rescue_ anyone.

He halted just before the end of the next aisle, once again slowly peeking around the corner. Now, he could see the guards, and, even better, the guards could not see him. Slowly, he eased his way down the side of the shelves, trying to catch a glimpse of who the guards had cornered. From his observations, he found that there were six guards, one for each escapee, and three of them had caught Artemis, M'gann, and Conner. The other three guards were trying to sneak around and catch the others, but their bulky armor clanged with each step.

Wait, make that two. The fourth guard had actually managed to catch Dick, and held a gun to the boy's back.

"Walk. Now." The guard barked, shoving the barrel of the gun in between Dick's shoulder blades. The two walked past the aisle where Kaldur stood. The Atlantean ducked behind another shelf, still managing to keep them in his line of vision. Dick cut his eyes over to where he saw a flash of movement. Kaldur placed a finger to his lips, willing the younger to keep quiet. Dick nodded. As soon as he passed the aisle, guard at his back, Kaldur quickly walked to the next aisle. A flash of bright orange told him that Wally was doing the same, tailing the guard until an opportunity presented itself to incapacitate the lone guard.

That opportunity arose when Dick "tripped", and the guard bent over to help him up. In an instant, Wally was on the guard's back, wrenching the gun from his grasp and covering his mouth. The guard threw Wally off, preparing to shout for help, but was silenced by a swift, hard jab to the back of the neck from Kaldur. Once the three were sure that the guard was unconscious, Dick pointed towards the other shelf, indicating the other two guards. Silently, they nodded, and creeped down the aisles to take out the two guards.

The first guard didn't stand a chance. Wally sped to him and kicked him in the throat, reducing him to a gasping, coughing mess. Application of pressure points forced the guard unconscious. The second guard had a slight premonition of danger when he didn't see his comrade passing through the aisles, and proceeded with caution. When Kaldur approached from behind, the guard was quick to counter with a duck-and-blow technique, landing a punch to Kaldur's gut. The dark teen doubled over for a second, but before the guard could deliver a more fatal blow, Dick appeared from behind. With a few quick hits, he managed to knock the gun from the guard's hand and dislocate his shoulder. The guard barely managed to push Dick off-balance, but his minor victory was short lived. A blow to the head left him seeing stars before he gave into unconsciousness. Kaldur stood behind the now-unconscious guard, holding his gun like a baseball bat.

Now, they needed to free their friends. Quickly and quietly, they approached the spot where the three guards should have been standing with their captives. Kaldur, Dick, and Wally arrived just in time to see Conner throw his guard higher than seemed humanly possible into one of the shelves. M'gann was fighting off her guard using some foreign sort of martial arts. Interestingly, half of the time, she wasn't even _touching_ the guard, and he still buckled like he had been hit. Artemis already had her guard on the ground, arms twisted behind him in a way that wasn't natural, and secured his wrists with his own handcuffs. It took less than a minute for their guards to give up, and quick pressure point applications left them in the same states as the other half of their crew.

After everyone was sure that everyone was sure that everyone else was still in one piece, the issues at hand were addressed. The attention was immediately drawn to a dent in the shelves, nearly halfway to the ceiling, a good twenty-five feet up. The dent itself showed significant force used. Dick turned to Conner.

"You know that's not natural, right?"

Conner just shrugged. "What here _is _natural?"

Wally concurred. "Hey, I can run faster than most vehicles, M'gann's green-no offense-, and you can hear really well. Apparently, you also have super strength. What else?" This brought another thought to Wally's mind. "Hey, did anyone ever find the file?"

Nobody had. Kaldur sighed. "It is no use. We should escape now, while we have the chance."

Everyone started for the door, but Conner paused. He narrowed his eyes at the dent made by the impact of the guard, and the files that were jarred due to the bent metal. "No."

The others paused. "What?" Wally said.

Conner motioned for them to come back. "Don't go yet."

Everyone followed his gaze. "What are you looking at…" Dick said. Though no one else could see it, Conner had caught sight of the file. "M'gann," he called to the Martian, "Can you get that box?" he pointed to one file that was sticking halfway out of the shelf. Though she was confused, she hesitantly agreed, and raised her hand above her. Everyone else watched in wonder as the box shook and jerked, until finally, it was pulled from its spot. At that time, M'gann stopped, and the box clattered to the floor.

"It's the file!" Artemis said, noting the thick black label printed on the front. M'gann picked up the box and handed it to Kaldur. Everyone crowded around to see what the box held. Slowly, Kaldur opened it, revealing a strange contraption. He reached for one of the strange devices. Upon contact, the black marks along his arm glowed, a light that was passed into the device. He quickly dropped the contraption, confusion and wonder alighting his features.

After the initial shock wore off, Dick smiled. "Cool."

In the next few minutes, everyone started walking down the hallway that they all hoped led to freedom. Small conversations dotted the air around them.

"Hey, what was that gunshot, anyway?" Dick asked.

"Oh, yeah," Wally shrugged. "One of those guys tried to shoot at me when I ran. Honestly, what did he expect to happen? I'm-"

"Faster than a speeding bullet?" Dick cut in.

Wally smiled. "Yeah."


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you sure we're not lost? I swear, I've seen this hallway before…" Artemis asked Dick. The smaller boy had his head down, face illuminated by the glow of the screen.

"Trust me. I know exactly what I'm doing. Right!" Everyone changed directions at the next intersection. "Left!"

"Why don't we just go _straight_? If we keep going forward, we're bound to reach the outside at _some_ point." Wally said, falling into step besides the two.

"I'm trying to steer clear of all guard posts. They're marked on the map. I'd rather not have a rerun of what happened in the storage vault." Dick answered. Wally just huffed his annoyance. "Well, I could just run everyone out. I'd like to see them catch up with _me_."

"Do you really want to try carrying _them_?" Dick nodded to Conner and Kaldur. Wally gulped. "Good point. Lead on!"

Dick grumbled. "Come on, let's… Oh, no." Dick said just as the group saw the guards. "Wally! You distracted me! We've walked right into them!" They all started to back away, but it was no use. "There! Get them!" a guard called.

"We need to stay together!" Kaldur ordered, remembering how splitting up almost cost them their near-freedom earlier. "Don't let them separate us!"

A bullet whizzed past M'gann's ear. The guards had opened fire. She shut her eyes. Then, a strange feeling overcame her. It was as if she could _feel_ the guards, the guns, the bullets. She could _control_ them. Still with her eyes closed, she raised her hands and willed the bullets to stop. After a moment, she opened her eyes. The bullets were suspended in the air, along with the guards and guns. The guards cried out, surprised by the sudden lack of gravity where they stood.

"Wally, take the weapons!" Kaldur said.

"On it!" Wally whizzed around the floating guards, muttering "'Scuse me, pardon me," as he went. He stopped next to Dick, arms full of guns. "What do you want me to do with them?"

Dick shrugged. "Get rid of them." Wally sped over to a door leading to a staircase. The rest heard a series of metal clangs, followed by the door shutting. "What?" Wally said when the team tossed him a collective skeptical look. "You said 'get rid of them'."

Suddenly, M'gann dropped the guards and clutched at her head. Conner grasped the Martian's arm to keep her from collapsing. Kaldur noted her deteriorating physical state. "We need to end this. Now."

Wally, Conner, and Kaldur charged the remaining guards. Their metahuman abilities, whether they were conscious of it or not, helped in the quick disposal of the guards. Unfortunately, it seemed that the guards had sent for backup, which was arriving fast.

"Okay, time to go!" Dick called. Rather than fight the guards, they opted for running, since the large backup group seemed to double in size every time they rounded a corner. When someone fell behind, Wally or Conner would drop back and pick them up. Adrenaline helped in providing the energy necessary for their running; they had a long way to go. The constant cycle of running/falling behind meant that the person taking point was constantly changing. Artemis was the one who, upon turning a corner, came to a screeching halt at the sight before her. A set of double doors with _windows_. And _sunlight_ streaming through said windows. She paused, taking in the new sight, before calling to the group; "Found it! A door!"

Wally beat her to the door, with Kaldur and the rest close behind. Artemis yanked at the door handle. No dice. She braced both feet on the floor, both hands on the handle, and pulled. When that didn't work, she pushed.

"Nothing. It's locked!" She kicked the door, whirling and sitting in defeat. They could hear the guards closing in. "All of that for _nothing_."

Wally sat next to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She sighed.

Suddenly, her view of the other wall was obstructed by a pair of combat boots. "Move." Conner's gruff voice ordered. The two scrambled up and out of the way. Conner put both hands on one door, took a deep breath, and shoved. The door buckled and flew out, removing the only obstacle between them and freedom.

The sunlight was blinding, in a good way.

_End of Part 1_

* * *

><p>AN: I know, I know. It's short. I'm sorry for the lack of update for the past few weeks, but that's exactly why I'm making this "Part 1". I'm going to write a few chapters of Part 2 before I start posting them, so y'all aren't kept waiting while I work.

Can I ask y'all a favor? I've got a friend on this site, her name is Merry Mischief. She's got this one story, "Right Behind You". It's all about M'gann's life on Mars. She's worried because she hasn't gotten many reviews. She's the kind of person who's extremely paranoid about things like that. Could y'all just give her story a shot, review, y'know. She's trying hard, and she's a pretty good author.

Thanks.

Oh, and review!


	11. Part 2: Prologue

"This is the place?" Superman asked, shooting the Dark Knight a skeptical glance.

"Yes." Batman said gruffly. Superman shrugged as he examined the unassuming white building surrounded by high fencing. The only thing that would set the building off from any other research lab was the fact that it was placed absolutely in the middle of nowhere. Slowly, the Man of Steel lowered himself to the ground right inside of the fence. Martian Manhunter landed beside him. Above, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, and Green Arrow stood inside the Javelin, waiting for the bay door to open so they could join their teammates on the ground.

When six League members were on the ground, they proceeded to the front doors. The typical metal double doors had small windows in each, and a look through the windows showed nobody in the lobby. Flash rattled the door handle, to no avail.

"Do we knock?" he said. Batman nodded to Superman, who stepped forward and punched the doors down in one smooth motion.

"There's your knock," Green Arrow mumbled. The group moved through the doors, only to be stopped by another set of doors, the only other exit out of the lobby. Batman made quick work of the security mechanism to reveal that the doors led to a series of hallways and doors.

"Spread out. Report whatever you find." Batman ordered, before disappearing through one of the doors. Everyone else split up quickly.

* * *

><p>Flash found it first, and he was quick to alert the others. Soon, everyone was gathered around a thick metal door with a glowing control pad next to it.<p>

"What do you think's in there?" Flash asked. Batman was already on the case, using the technology in his gauntlets to bypass whatever security measures there may be. A clicking noise and blink from the screen signaled that the door was now open, and it slowly slid into the wall, revealing what looked like a well-maintained prison cell. Inside, a girl with close-cropped brown hair sat on a cot. She was wearing a gray shirt and pants with black boots, and there was a set of numbers and letters printed on the shirt. She stood up quickly, falling into a defensive stance at the sight of the strangers.

Green Arrow let out a long whistle. "Who is she?"

Nobody knew. She did calm down once they had asserted that they were, in fact, friends. Or, at least, not enemies.

Batman had already made his way to the next door and opened it, revealing a boy, about the size and build of Superboy, though maybe slightly taller. He had blonde hair and green eyes.

"Hey, Batman, do you think it's a good idea to release all of these people? They might not all be… y'know, 'good'."

"From what I've seen of their files, they've all had their memories erased," Batman said. Superman wanted to ask "what files", but he knew that, however impossible it may seem, Batman had probably gotten ahold on whatever files were available already.

"It doesn't matter if they were good or evil, they're still victims of a kidnapping. That gives me enough reason to release them." Batman finished.

Slowly, every cell in the hallway was opened. Other inhabitants included a girl with long dark hair and dark eyes, a boy with red skin, glowing eyes, white hair, and horns, and another boy with tan skin and slightly long dark hair.

At the end of one hallway, Batman seemed to find what he was looking for. A room with a glass door, filled with computers.

"A control room. Not only will I be able to access all security footage, I can also get complete access to every file here. Master control to the cells, too." The Dark Knight tapped away on the computer, concentrating on something that most of the other Leaguers couldn't begin to comprehend.

After a minute, Batman's expression darkened. He looked confused, then angry. He stood up suddenly.

"They're not here." he said. The other five looked confused.

"What do you mean, 'not here'?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"They are not in this facility. They _were_, at one point, but not anymore."

"Then where are they?" Flash asked worriedly.

Batman sighed. "I don't-"

"_What_ are you doing?" a female voice shrieked. A woman in a white lab coat stood in the doorway, looking winded with her glasses askew. "_Why_ are you releasing all of my test subjects?"

"Who are you?" Batman said threateningly. The woman took a deep breath and fixed her glasses.

"Why should I tell you?" she said, a sneer on her face. Batman narrowed his eyes.

"Fine, fine." She relented. "I'm Dr. Cortez, one of the lead investigators in the experiment."

"And what is the experiment?" Batman said, stepping closer. The woman pursed her lips, watching him warily, but didn't talk.

"I'm asking you, _what is the_ -_"_

"Bats, you can find that out later." Flash said. He turned to Dr. Cortez. "Where are they?"

"Who?" she said.

Batman glared again. The woman looked as if she had suddenly been struck by an epiphany, and smiled. "Oh! You mean _them_." She shrugged. "I don't know. They escaped. Whatever, not my problem. I still have plenty of test subjects." She frowned. "Or _had_, before you set them all free. I'll just call security to round them up. Them _and_ you." She narrowed her eyes and pulled out a remote from her pocket. Flash grabbed her hand before she could press a button and forced the remote away from her.

"What do you mean, they _escaped_? Where did they escape _to_?" he asked. Though she winced under the hero's grip, she still managed to remain cocky.

"_Look_, hero. _I don't know_, and frankly, I don't care."

Flash turned to the others. "What should I do?"

"The rest of the League is already on its way to detain the 'test subjects'. We'll take her, and whoever else may be here, into custody and interrogate them then. Until then-" Flash was way ahead of the Dark Knight on that one. Swift application of pressure to her neck knocked the scientist unconscious.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello, friends.

So, I'm alive. And updating.

Little chapter about the League for a prologue, since I bet you were wondering where they were during all of this? Searching. They were searching. These scientists are good at covering their tracks.

Who can tell what the character of Dr. Cortez was a reference to? (Hint: another story of mine)

The cameos of other inmates in this chapter are as follows; Amy Allen aka Bombshell, Joseph Wilson aka Jericho, Lorena Marquez aka Aquagirl, Eddie Bloomberg aka Kid Devil, and Jaime Reyes aka Blue Beetle. None of these are OCs, in case you didn't know.

So, I have a Tumblr now. Two, actually. And, if you follow them, you get a treat. The one directly related to this account is with the username "sylviechic". My personal Tumblr is under the username "iammccee". You know, you just type either of those in, followed by a period, then "tumblr", then .com.

Follow, or else.

Please.


	12. Part 2: Chapter 1

The dark shadows of the trees did nothing to help visibility. None of them could tell how long they'd been walking. When they'd first broken through the doors and out into the world, the sun had been high in the sky. Now, the moon took the place where the sun one hovered. Fatigue was beginning to set in; everyone's steps were becoming more sluggish.

Wally was the first to crash.

"C'mon, guys! We should just bed down here, under the stars…" he yawned, stretching his arms and settling on a nearby tree as if the matter had already been decided. Apparently, though, it had, since Wally's declaration seemed to send everyone else into fits of yawns. Dick conceded, and found a spot to lounge on a rock a short distance away. Kaldur sat against another tree trunk. Artemis lay flat on her back on the grass, crossing her hands behind her head. M'gann took a similar approach, but curled up in a ball on the flat ground instead of lying straight. Conner leaned against the sloping terrain of a small ridge.

* * *

><p>Artemis slowly woke up when the daylight became strong enough to rouse her from her slumber. She sat up, rubbing her eyes against the harsh light. For a brief moment, there was panic. Where was she? This wasn't the usual concrete walls that greeted her upon waking. However, the previous day's activities swam into her consciousness, reminding her as to her location and the company she was with. Speaking of company, it seemed that she wasn't the only one awake.<p>

Sitting on the ground a short distance away were Dick and Wally. Her still sleep-fogged brain had a hard time processing exactly _what_ was different about them, but she knew there was _something_. It clicked when she realized that they weren't wearing the same gray uniforms that everyone else had been. The plastic bags surrounding them were another clue.

"Where'd you get those clothes?" Artemis asked skeptically. Wally opened his mouth to say something, then decided better of it and unscrewed the cap to his water bottle, taking a swig so he wouldn't have to answer her question. That drew her attention to the interesting smorgasbord of food in front of them.

"Where'd you get that food?" she asked, though the answer had already dawned on her. Dick turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. "You stole it, didn't you?"

Dick shrugged. "It was our best option. Besides, the city's not too far away."

By this point, the other three had awoken. Kaldur joined in the discussion; "I'd think our best option would be to go to the-"

"Go to the authorities?" Dick completed Kaldur's sentence. "Sure. We'll just go waltzing up in our _prison uniforms_,"

"They're not prison uniforms," Artemis said.

"They might as well be," Dick replied, "Anyway, we'd just go walking up to the police station, or something, and tell them that we'd just escaped some bizarre research lab, where we were kept in cells and cut off from the world?"

"It's not like we don't have proof," Artemis answered.

"Oh, of course we have proof. We have a girl with _green skin._ We have a guy with snake tattoos and _gills_."

"Wait," Conner spoke for the first time that morning, "When did we establish that they're gills?"

"They look like gills," Wally put down the sandwich he was eating. "Dick's right. Right now, we have two priorities: survival, because that's pretty important in general; and blending in. We don't want the psycho-scientists catching us again. It'll be easier for us if we just blend in."

"Again," Dick said, "We have the whole issue about appearances. Sure, Kal's gills can be covered up, but how are we supposed to go around if one of us has green…" he trailed off. "Uh, M'gann?"

The other four turned to see what had caught Dick's attention. Artemis gasped. A change had overcome the other girl. Her green skin was changing in places, morphing from green to a more human tone. Everyone watched, aghast, as the change slowly took her entire body. When it was over, it was hard to tell that the girl before them had ever looked alien; her peachy tone seemed just as natural as the green one.

M'gann was looking at her skin in wonder. Clearly, she hadn't expected the change, either. Everyone else was frozen in shock, until Dick finally shook his head and held his hands up in surrender. Wally shrugged, going back to his sandwich.

"You know, after everything that's already happened, I can't say I'm all that surprised."

* * *

><p>"Right through here-watch your head, Kal, you're taller than the rest of us-and voila!" Wally led the others through the woods and outskirts of the city to the inner districts through back alleys and cut-throughs. Each person was now wearing some odd combination of clothes that the boys had managed to swipe. Before them stood a mass of buildings, varying in size, and an equally large mass of <em>people<em>. Each of the six cringed at the thought of having to interact with the strangers. Even Dick and Wally, who had already made this trip once, seemed uncomfortable.

"Well," Dick started, "There weren't _this_ many people here earlier." Wally nodded in agreement and crossed his arms self-consciously over his chest. M'gann tugged on the edge of her pink sweatshirt, a nervous movement that made Conner take a step closer to her. The idea of being around so many people bothered her; she wasn't sure if she could keep her abilities under control. Her hands fisted in her new pink jacket, she shrugged her shoulders forward in an attempt to hide inside herself. Her red hair fell in front of her face.

"What are we doing here, anyway?" Artemis groaned, leaning onto the wall of one of the buildings.

"We need to re-familiarize ourselves with society. Y'know, _blend in_." Dick said.

"Are you sure we should just jump into it like this, though?" Artemis replied, cringing as she was bumped by a rude passerby.

Dick shrugged. "We don't have time to waste."

"So, what' our first move? We can't just run around on this wide goose chase. We don't even have a goose to chase." Wally mumbled through a mouthful of chips.

"We must find out who we are." Kaldur spoke from the head of the group. "That is our first priority. We have our information, now we must know how to utilize it."

"Who we are, where we're from… Guys, what about our families? Assuming we have them…" Artemis said, shuffling her feet.

"D'you… do you think they could be, well, like us?" Wally said. Everyone fell silent, the idea weighing on their minds as they slowly made their way through the city streets.

Suddenly, Conner stopped. He noticed a difference in the group around him. Somebody was missing from his side…

"Uh, guys?" he spoke up, stopping everyone. "Where's M'gann?"

* * *

><p>AN: Plot hole: fixed! It's beautiful, isn't it?

Sorry for the delay, the school musical is on Thursday. I haven't had time to write, what with how I'm so slammed with rehearsals. I've gotten a combined sum of 10 hours of sleep the past three nights.

I'm going to try to be more punctual with chapters from now on…

Check out my Tumblr!


	13. Part 2: Chapter 2

M'gann paused as something caught her eye. Intrigued, she walked away from the group, heading for a news stand on the sidewalk. When she got closer, she realized what it was that had captured her interest in the first place. On the front page of one of the newspapers, there was a picture. In the picture, three men were fighting a large monster. She peered at the headline, which read: _Superman, Aquaman, Flash Take Down Robot Octopus!_. She picked up the newspaper, bringing the picture close to her face. It was strange, she thought, how familiar those names were. In fact, as she examined the image, the man in the cape looked a lot like Conner…

She gasped, suddenly standing straight up and looking around. She needed to show this to the rest of the group, but where were they? Her head swiveled back and forth as she searched the crowd for any familiar face. _Maybe they're just out of my sight,_ she thought, and started to walk back into the crowd. Suddenly, a hand grabbed the newspaper, trying to pull it from her grip.

"Hey!" A large man said, his beady eyes glaring daggers at the girl, "You have to pay for that!" The fierce, angry look on his face, combined with his size, frightened M'gann. When she didn't reply, he hissed, "What, are you stupid? You can't steal this!" The scene was starting to draw a crowd. M'gann still did nothing, not knowing how to reply. When he tugged on the paper again, the only thing connecting them, her fingers instinctively tightened around the small portion still in her grip, tearing through. She pulled back, ripping a part of the page free, and stumbled to the ground. Without thinking, she jumped up and ran, fingers still closed in a death grip around the scrap of paper she had ripped free. She forced her way through the crowds of people, trying to ignore their jibes and yells, though they still brought tears to her eyes.

All of a sudden, a hand caught her arm from behind. Instinctively, she swung her other arm behind her, but that arm was caught, too. Her captor spun her around, and she found herself facing none other than Conner. Brown, teary eyes met bright blue ones. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and led her from the crowd. Away from the excitement, the two found a bench, where they waited for the rest of the group to find them. Slowly, M'gann calmed down, and her hand loosened around the paper in her hand. Self-consciously, she smoothed out the wrinkles and examined exactly what she had scavenged. Only half of the picture remained; while Aquaman and Flash were still visible, the only part of Superman that could be seen was the boots. The article had also been ripped, and some parts were illegible. She watched, sighing, as the crowd down the street dispersed, not realizing that the culprit of the newspaper crime was only a few hundred feet away. Distracted, M'gann didn't realize it when the wind blew the scrap of paper from her lap.

The rest of the group found the two on the bench.

"What was going on? I heard shouting, and…" Dick started, but stopped when he saw M'gann's face. "Hey, are you okay?"

She looked up, her spirits lifting knowing her friends were around her. Anxious to show them her find, she grasped at where the paper was supposed to be. However, there was no paper there. Her face fell, realization striking as she looked around wildly, trying to catch sight of the scrap of paper, the thing that may hold answers as to who they were.

The paper was nowhere to be found.

This seemed to be the final straw, and she finally broke down. She slumped on the bench, hunching over and hiding her face in her lap. She didn't cry, but clenched her hands on her knees.

"What's wrong?"

M'gann opened her mouth, only to be crushed further when she remembers that she can't speak. Instead, she half-heartedly waves her hands, trying to get her point across. By the blank looks on her teammates' faces, it wasn't working.

Finally, Artemis sighed. "Okay. We need to solve this matter, right here, right now."

"What do you mean?" Dick said.

"I mean, she can't talk. She doesn't know sign language, either, and frankly, neither do we. We need to figure out a way for us all to be able to communicate."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Wally asked.

"Well," Artemis turned to M'gann, "didn't you do something back in the facility? You spoke in our minds…"

"No!" Conner shouted.

"Do you have a better idea? I know it's not exactly comfortable, but it's the only way."

Conner groaned. "I guess… I guess we could try it out."

"So we've reached an agreement? Do you want to try?" Dick asked. M'gann hesitated, remembering the negative reaction she received when she first tried to communicate that way.

"_Get out of my head!" Conner-no, Superboy then-shouted as each of the team grabbed their heads in pain._

"_I-I'm sorry…" she weakly tried to explain, but the damage had been done. Superboy stormed out of the room._

"…M'gann? Do you want to try?" Dick asked again, snapping her out of her thoughts. She shook her head as she was brought back to reality, the sudden flashback already fading from her mind. She looked around; they were all still on the streets. Not some strange kitchen that had seemed to make its way into her memories, what little she had.

She nodded slowly, concentrating on connecting her mind with her friends'. It was strange, she couldn't remember a time doing it before purposefully, but it was easy. Almost second nature. She had no difficulty establishing a connection, and then, quietly, spoke into their minds.

"_Is this okay?"_ Conner flinched at the voice, and she quickly shut off the link, shrinking back even more into the bench. Conner turned to her. He slowly reached out as if to touch her shoulder, but drew back at the last second. He lowered his hands back to his sides and kept his eyes downcast.

"It's okay," he said softly. Artemis nodded to M'gann, indicating that she could try once more. They were all prepared for the voice this time.

"_So… talking like this? It's alright?" _M'gann said again.

"Yeah," Artemis spoke out loud. Then; _"Conner's just going to have to learn to deal with it."_

"Hey!" Conner said. Artemis jumped, startled.

"What?"

"I heard that!"

Artemis's brow crinkled. "But I didn't say anything."

"Well, you thought it." Dick butted in. Everyone's eyes widened as they realized the implications of that statement.

"So, not only can you hear our thoughts, but when we're connected, everyone else can, too?" Wally voiced what they were all thinking. M'gann nodded.

"_I guess so."_

* * *

><p>AN: Happy Pi Day! I guess.

In honor of "Less Stress Week", which is a legitimate five-day period of no homework or tests at my school, I decided to write up another chapter. Don't expect this all of the time.

Why do we get a full week dedicated to doing nothing? Well, on Monday, there was a golf tournament, JV soccer, and rehearsal. On Tuesday, there was a varsity soccer game, track meet, and more rehearsal. Today, more rehearsal, two soccer games. Tomorrow, another track meet, JV soccer, and opening night for the musical. On Friday, a golf tournament, varsity soccer, and second night for the musical. Eighty percent of the student body participates in at least one of the activities every night. We're all ready to die.

Opening night for the musical is TOMORROW. Wish me luck! I'll probably post pictures to Tumblr, or something. I don't know.

ONE MORE THING! Did any of you read the story I posted a while ago, "A Dream"? Basically, it's a short, vague story about a dream I had concerning Young Justice episodes. I was wondering if I should expand on the plot, and turn it into a real story. Yay or Nay?


	14. Part 2: Chapter 3

A/N: Hey, guys! I found wifi, so I'm updating.

Rocket is in this chapter. Just a heads-up.

* * *

><p>When Roy entered the Cave, they could tell something was wrong.<p>

Zatanna and Raquel were in the kitchen. Raquel had taken to visit often since Zatanna's other two "Cave-mates" had disappeared. They had both heard the computer announce Roy's arrival, but neither had expected, when he stormed into the room, for the redhead to angrily sling his bow at the wall, letting out a frustrated grunt as he did so.

"Hey!" Zatanna said, jumping up from her seat, "What are you…" the question died on her lips when Roy came over and sat next to her, resting his head on the table. He sighed, a defeated, tragic sound.

"Roy? What is it?" Zatanna asked.

"They made progress. The League _finally_ made progress, and figured out where they were." Neither of the girls had to ask who "they" were; he obviously meant the six team members who had gone missing.

"That sounds like _good_ news." Raquel said.

"It _was_," Roy said, exaggerating the past tense. "But when they got there, to where the rest of the team was being kept, they weren't there."

"What do you mean, _they weren't there_?" Zatanna asked.

"I mean they _escaped_."

Raquel shrugged. "I still don't see what part of this is _bad_ news."

"The scientists, or whoever the people that kidnapped them are, erased their memories. _That's_ the bad news. From what I heard, it's like they don't know who they are. Superboy doesn't know he's Kryptonian, Miss Martian doesn't know she's Martian, Kid Flash doesn't know he's a speedster… Robin doesn't know he's _Robin_."

There was complete silence as this revelation sank in.

"Okay," Zatanna said when the shock wore off, "So, worst case scenario, they're running around like chickens with their heads cut off, causing a lot of attention. Easy to find them."

"No, that's best case scenario." Roy said. "Because it'd be easy to find them. But they're playing _smart_. Lying low, trying not to attract attention to themselves. Making it hard for the scientists to find them again, and making it hard for us to locate them. Besides," he brought another point to light, "Even if we do manage to find one, we have no guarantee that they're all together."

"That's worst-case scenario," Raquel said, "It might not be all that bad."

"But it probably will be." Roy cut in.

Zatanna slumped back in her chair. "What's the League doing now?"

"Searching."

"What do _we_ do now?" Raquel said.

"Sit around. Wait. Same thing we've been doing since they disappeared." Roy said.

"Why?" Zatanna said. "I'm sick of waiting. Why don't _we_ do something?"

* * *

><p>It was Robin's idea.<p>

After they established the telepathy as a way to communicate, and M'gann told them what she had been trying to about the newspaper, it had started to rain. It was a full-on downpour, and any hopes of recovering any newspaper were dissolved in the rain. However, the basic information was still understood: There were more like them.

After seeking shelter from the rain inside of a fast-food restaurant, they debated their next move. It was then that Robin spotted a Greyhound bus station through the rain.

He shared his idea with his friends.

"We keep moving. Go from town to town. If we stay in one place too long, we only increase our chances of being caught."

"Okay, great idea and all, but I have one question for you, Dick." Artemis said. "How do we pay? There's not much money left in that wallet that you 'found' in someone's coat pocket."

"There's enough for now. People should really stop carrying around so much cash. But, you're right. Stealing isn't the right way to do this. Granted, we've already done so…" Dick trailed off as Wally came to the table, multiple food bags in arms. "Wally, no! You're spending all of our money!"

"Whoa, dude! Sorry, but I was hungry!" Wally almost held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, but then realized the six bags were still in his arms. He plopped them down on the table.

"You were _hungry_," Dick said in disbelief, "So you bought _six bags_ full of food?"

"Well, it's not all for me! I figure we should stock up now, who knows when we'll have access to food again? Besides, I've still got enough money left so we can buy tickets, or whatever you guys were talking about."

Dick still looked unhappy, so Artemis came to the rescue. "Good idea, Wally. It's good to have food at hand when you're traveling, especially in a situation where you're not sure where you're going."

"We still have not solved the problem of where we will get the money," Kaldur said.

Artemis's gaze shifted to outside, where the rain was coming down harder than before. "I think we should cross that bridge when we get to it. If we move now, we have a new town, new opportunities. But we should move _now_."

* * *

><p>They arrived at the bus station soaking wet. Though it had only been a short sprint across the street, the pouring rain had managed to soak through most of their clothes. Dick headed for the map on the wall to see where the bus would be going.<p>

"Hey, guys," he called everyone over, "Where do you want to go?"

When it came down to it, a simple coin-flip decided their destination. Dick and Kaldur went to buy the tickets. Thankfully, even with Wally's spending, they still had enough money for six tickets, with a little left over.

"Y'all're lucky," the man behind the ticket counter said with a thick Southern accent. "That bus'll be leavin' any minute." He flashed the two boys a semi-toothless grin. "Thank ye for your business!"

Sure enough, the bus that they bought tickets for left within the next fifteen minutes. The six teenagers were among the only passengers, and they all settled for sitting in the back. Their jackets were discarded and draped across vacant seats, a desperate attempt to dry them out. The smell of fast-food filled the bus as they all pulled out the bags of food that Wally had bought. Once their meal was finished, and about half of the food was left, everybody spread out to claim their own few seats as beds. One by one, each drifted into sleep, starting with M'gann and Kaldur, then Conner, then Dick, until Artemis and Wally were the only ones awake, and fading fast.

Suddenly, Wally spoke; "Hey, Artemis? You still awake?"

"Mmm… yeah," came the tired response.

"Uh," Wally whispered, "Well, I just wanted to say thanks, for earlier. For, uh, coming to my rescue with the whole food thing."

"Ah," Artemis yawned, "No problem, Wally."

"Okay, uh, well, good night, Artemis."

"G'night, Baywatch."

He started slightly, the nickname stirring something inside of him. However, Wally was already too far under the grasp of sleep to really process what Artemis had just said, and Artemis was already asleep, not knowing the name that had just passed her lips.

Neither of them would remember in the morning.

* * *

><p>AN: It's chapters like these when I'm reminded that I need to do more storyboarding.

OH, GOD, I SMELL PANCAKES.

It's currently seventeen past the hour of nine, on this lovely Friday morning, and my mom is cooking pancakes. I'm hungry right now.

Anyway, one more thing. I read the latest issue of the _Young Justice _tie-in, and there's a cute flirty moment between Superboy and Miss Martian. Check out my Tumblr for pictures.


	15. Part 2: Chapter 4

A select group of scientists sat around the table in the conference room. Of the numerous scientists working on Project Super-Soldier, only these four had managed to evade capture. Not that it did them any good. Dr. Lucas Hughes, Dr. Pierre Clemenceau, Dr. Consuela Cortez, and Dr. Samuel Land were the only remaining investigators and workers of what was supposed to be the greatest undermining of the national powers in history.

"It's over!" Dr. Hughes shouted. He stood at the conference table, both hands on the table's surface as he leaned over and shouted, "Everything we've worked for! Over!"

"Sir," Dr. Cortez moaned, running a hand through her short, dark hair, "Please, don't shout." She still had a headache from when the Martian Manhunter had attempted to drag information from her mind. He didn't find anything, since all personnel were trained against psychic interrogations. She was the only one in the room that had been captured, but there had been no real evidence towards her that would incriminate her in the court of law, so she was released. It was a back-up measure, in case of emergency, that all computers would be wiped clean of any and all information on the project. All files were backed up on a single computer, which was triple-encrypted and set to self-destruct, should anyone try to break in.

Still, a single computer filled with information couldn't make up for the years of work put into collecting and observing the multiple subjects that they had acquired. Years of work, hundreds of subjects, all for nothing.

"I will shout all I _want_, Cortez," Dr. Hughes shouted again. On the other side of the table, Dr. Land squirmed in his seat.

"Uh, sir," he said, sweat beading on his brow.

"Don't you 'Uh, sir' me, Land! If it weren't for your _carelessness_, this never would have happened! I don't know why I bothered to save you from capture, seeing as you are a _useless_ employee and a waste of space!"

"I didn't know that the League had arrived!"

"It's your _job _to know, Land! Aren't you head of surveillance? Why wasn't there anyone at the security post? Why, the League practically waltzed in here like they owned the place, and _you did nothing!_ You were more interested in saving yourself than preserving our _research!_" Hughes was practically spitting, and his sandy hair flopped in his face.

The pudgy Dr. Land sank down in his seat. "I wasn't thinking-"

"No, you _weren't_. You were taken on in this project because the Head, I believed we could use you. But you-"

"What was I supposed to do?" Land whined.

"_Do not interrupt me!_" Hughes screamed. "_Never_ interrupt me. I will send you back to the godforsaken, pest-ridden diner where we picked you up. Your mind is what keeps you here, Dr. Land. Try to use it. You could have been more like Dr. Cortez, who risked herself in order to postpone the League while I initiated the emergency measures from the main computer." Cortez smiled and flipped her hair, basking in the minute glory of his compliment. "If it weren't for her quick thinking, _all_ of our research would have been in the hands of the Justice League. We've at least managed to salvage the key elements." He sighed. "But it's all for naught. Every test subject, released, with their memories restored, and this facility under lockdown. There's no way we could ever make that up."

It was at this point that the usually silent Dr. Clemenceau decided to speak. "Not all, sir."

"What?"

Clemenceau stood. At six foot five, he stood tallest of everyone, and with his pale skin and shaved head, he had the semblance of a ghost. He was extremely slender, and his white lab coat hung loosely off of his frame. He walked over to the head of the table, with a stack of files in his hands.

"These six test subjects escaped before the League arrived. It is unknown whether or not they were found, though I have reasons to believe that they are, in fact, still on the loose."

Hughes scanned through the files, a slow smile spreading across his face. "This is good, Clemenceau. This is very good." He slammed the files down on the table. "Even if we only recover _one_, research can still continue! All is not lost!" the smile faded from his face as he took on a more thoughtful expression. "Though, Clemenceau, I don't suppose you have any idea where they might be?"

Clemenceau narrowed his eyes, a scowl crossing his face. "No." He returned to his seat.

"I do!" Land spoke up, but then he looked down at his lap, uncertain about how to explain.

"You do?" Hughes said.

"Yes, well, um," Land said, "You see, the Martian girl, when we did the operation… I took the, er, liberty to inject a tracker at the point of incision, so that when the wound was closed, the tracking device would be kept inside…" he trailed off.

From his seat across the table, Clemenceau smiled. Clearly, Land had acted without consulting Hughes in the first place; an action that was sure to get him fired.

"Land," Hughes said, bringing a hand to his face and massaging his temples, "That… may be the best thing you've said all day!" Both Clemenceau and Land startled at this exclamation. "No, no, that's probably the best thing you've said in your entire time of employment!"

While Land smiled, Clemenceau pressed his lips into a thin line. This wasn't how things were supposed to go; _he_ was supposed to get all of the glory, and Land was supposed to be fired. The dark tinted glasses that sat perched on the end of Clemenceau's narrow nose flashed as the thin man turned his head, casting a look in his colleague's direction.

Clemenceau's hatred for the pasty head of surveillance deepened when Land stood and presented a small device to Hughes. It was the GPS that was hooked up to the tracker.

"Excellent, excellent," Hughes mumbled, watching the GPS with a giddy expression.

"Sir," Cortez spoke up, "Now that we know where they are, do you want to send someone to find them?"

Hughes looked up, startled. "Yes, yes, of course. Someone powerful. Who knows how much of their powers have been discovered. We need someone who can not only take them down, but won't question us. Nothing's worse than a soldier who asks questions. We need someone who we can bribe."

Each scientist retreated to his or her own personal thoughts.

"Sir," Cortez said hesitantly, "What about…" she presented her idea.

"All the way from _where_?" Land said disbelievingly.

"Yes, it may be a long journey, but he'll do anything if he's paid enough. Money is no object." Cortez said.

"He _is _powerful. Especially if we supply him with certain… _accommodations_ beforehand." Hugh muttered to himself. He then slapped his hands down on the table. "It's settled! Cortez, send him a message. Give him his mission, and tell him everything that we are willing to supply him with, should he accept."

* * *

><p>AN: So, who is this mystery muscle man? Where is he from? Why will he do anything for money? And how will the team react when they meet him?

All of this, and more, in the next installment of "Confinement"!

On a side note, I've started making Young Justice videos. I get bored, and so there are 4 (I'm not counting a preview) new videos on my YouTube channel. Same name, yada yada yada. If anyone wants to give me ideas for a video, please do. I'm completely open and receptive.

Last chapter received a record-breaking 18 reviews! Thank you all! Keep it up!


	16. Part 2: Chapter 5

A/N: **ShadowCatAlex **and **Kikkiyoshi-Star,** you're right in your guesses for the "mystery man". **AerialNight, mixxi, **and **tenletters**, you were close. He was actually my first choice, but I chose differently for reasons. Yeah, that's specific.

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><p>Artemis yawned and stretched her arms above her head, sitting up. From the looks of it, it was still nighttime outside. The bus lights were still on, but dimmed, and it looked like everyone else was still asleep. No, wait, Conner was awake. He was leaning against the side of the bus across from her, and M'gann was leaning against him. He had one arm wrapped around her. He nodded to Artemis, acknowledging her.<p>

It was curious, Artemis thought, the relationship that those two had. From the beginning, Conner had been hovering over M'gann. He cared for her, practically before he met her. Almost as if he remembered.

The idea brought something to Artemis's mind. A memory, a fleeting thought, a name long forgotten, but she couldn't bring it to the surface. She would have pondered the subject more, but a voice interrupted her.

"And where are you going, child?" An old woman said. She and her two grandchildren had boarded the bus at the same time that the six had. She'd made her way to the back of the bus to talk to Artemis.

"Gramma, please," the granddaughter said, "Leave her alone."

"No-no," Artemis said nervously, "I don't mind." She turned back to the old woman. "Uh, I'm not sure where I'm-we're going. Just… wherever the bus takes us."

"Wanderers," the old woman said.

"Yeah, I guess you could-" Artemis began, but the woman wasn't done.

"Escapees. Refugees. Lost children, wandering on your own as you try to find your way without a guide." Her eyes widened, and her expression was unsettling and wild. "Escapees and refugees, running from someone-something. What? What could cause you to run? What could-"

"Grandmother." The grandson had approached the woman, and laid a hand on her shoulder. He spoke firmly, "Leave her be. Please, come back to us. You need rest."

The woman begrudgingly obliged, leaving a very shaken Artemis behind. She glanced back to where the rest of her friends sat. Kaldur and Dick had awoken during the woman's ramblings, and Conner and they were watching her. She shook her head, casting one last glance to the woman. The strange look had left her face, and she now simply looked like any normal old woman on a bus. She caught Artemis's gaze and smiled sweetly.

Artemis spun back around so that she was facing the back of the bus, sitting on her knees on the seat and resting her chin on the backrest.

"What was that all about?" Dick asked.

"No clue. She called us 'refugees', though. It was like… she knew."

Dick and Kaldur pondered this. Conner, however, directed his attention back out the window, looking to the rear of the bus. He had been looking out the window when Artemis had first woken up, too.

"What are you looking at?" Artemis asked. Conner narrowed his eyes, not bothering to give any sign that he heard. She was going to ask again, but Conner spoke up suddenly, as if awakening from a daze.

"Those vans. They've been following us for the past hour."

"What?" Dick said. He and Artemis scrambled to the very back of the bus, trying to get a look at the vehicles. In the dark of night, the only thing to indicate their location were the headlights, which were dimmed.

"Three of them. All alike. All arrived at the same time, and all have been following us for the past hour." Conner said.

"Coincidence?" Kaldur said, but it wasn't much of a question.

Dick shook his head. "I don't believe in coincidences."

Conner nudged Megan, waking her up. Dick reached over and smacked Wally on the head. Everyone needed to be awake and ready, in case something happened.

"Why would they be following us, though?" Artemis said, voice hushed, "I mean, if they were here to, y'know, catch us, why haven't they caught up yet?"

"They're waiting. But for what?" Dick mumbled, brow furrowed in concentration.

Kaldur turned in the other direction, watching the road ahead instead of what was behind them. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed a change in the landscape. There were no longer any trees on the side of the road. For that matter, there wasn't any _ground_. In fact, it appeared that they were on-

"My guess?" Kaldur said, speaking up so that the whole group could hear, "Is that they're waiting for _that_."

Everyone moved to the side of the bus, looking out the window to the view outside. In the light of the moon, the glistening surface of water could barely be made out, a hundred feet below the bridge on which the bus was now driving.

Behind them, the vans picked up speed. One approached the bus and cut in front of it, while another pulled up alongside. The third made sure to keep right behind the bus.

"We're boxed in. Cut off. What are they going to do now?" Wally fretted.

A sudden impact jolted the bus, sending it careening into the wall of the bridge.

"Does that answer your question?" Artemis groaned, picking herself up off of the floor. A second collision, courtesy of the van beside them, sent the bus into the wall again.

"Better question: What are _we _going to do n-_ow_!" Dick grunted when the force of yet another collision caused him to tumble to the floor.

The bus screeched to a halt, sliding along the road. Everyone looked up, surprised by the stop. The bus driver, a semi-overweight man with a bald spot, was gripping the wheel tightly as he gasped and panted through his teeth. His foot was pressed so hard against the brake that it seemed that the pedal might be crushed. He looked back to his passengers, a terrified, yet strangely triumphant, look on his face.

That expression faded when the bus started moving forward again, right into the wall. The sound of metal bending and concrete crumbling crescendoed into a roaring thunder. The bus was moving seemingly of its own accord.

"They're pushing us through the wall!" Artemis shouted. With another jolt, the front end of the bus broke through a hole in the concrete barrier. However, they didn't stop.

"We need to do something before they send us over the edge!" Wally said.

"Like what? We're surrounded!" Artemis retorted.

Over the roar of the collisions and the grinding of metal against concrete, the passengers could barely hear Conner's next utterance:

"I'm on it."

He climbed over the seats to the very back of the bus. He drove both hands through the metal wall, pulling a hole big enough for people to climb out. The seats that were mounted on the back of the bus were quickly torn away and pushed out of the way.

"Everybody out!" he called before climbing out himself. The van that had been pushing them was quickly pushed away as Conner used his superhuman strength. Though it seemed that the driver was pushing the accelerator as far as it would go, Conner managed to hold it back.

Inside the bus, everyone was making a scramble to the back of the bus.

"Civilians first!" Dick said. Kaldur and Wally helped the old woman to the back while her grandchildren followed suit. They all exited the bus.

The world outside the bus wasn't much of a better place, as it would turn out. The vans had completely boxed them in. Seeing that the civilians needed to get out, Conner managed to exert more force on the van he was holding, so that there was a gap.

"Go, go! Now!" he shouted. The grandchildren helped their grandmother through the gap.

When they were safe, Conner relaxed just a bit. The van driver seized this opportunity and put everything he had into the accelerator. The van, with Conner on the front, slammed into the bus once more, forcing it even farther through the hole. Conner struggled to regain his footing, but he was pinned between the hood of the van and the back edge of the bus. Like a ticking time bomb, the van began to tip over the edge.

M'gann and the bus driver were still inside.

When the bus began to tip, M'gann and the bus driver tumbled to the front of the bus. M'gann groaned as her head slammed into the dashboard. The sudden shift of weight sealed their fate, and the bus began to tip farther, aided by the cursed gift of gravity. With one final push, courtesy of the van behind, the bus toppled over the edge. There was a crack as M'gann and the driver were tossed around, and then everything went black.

The team watched in horror as the bus toppled over the edge of the bridge. Without anything holding him in place, Conner nearly fell off after it, but managed to find a handhold at just the right second. He wouldn't be the one to jump in after the vehicle.

Kaldur would.

The strange instruments that had been kept in Storage 64, Vault 7, File A-16 were still grasped in his webbed hands. Instinct had told him to never let them go.

And now, instinct was telling him to jump in the water.

Kaldur would have been known for his level-headedness and tendency to stick to reason and logic instead of instinct. However, he himself did not know this. So, instinct it was.

With a running start, he jumped and dove through the air. Logic told him that he had no way of knowing the depth of the water or what may be hidden there. Logic told him that the sheer force of his plummet could kill him.

But instinct told him to trust his gut. He closed his eyes and let the water rush up to meet him.

The four left on the bridge were completely dumbstruck. Not only had they just lost one friend to a toppling death trap of a bus, but now they'd lost another who'd decided to jump in after her. And, of course, things were about to get a lot worse.

The van door opened, revealing a hoard of goons. The four heroes on the bridge watched as their leader stepped to the front of the pack.

"_Hola, niños."_

* * *

><p>AN: Firstly, I AM SO SORRY. I know, it's been forever, and I can only excuse about four to five of the weeks that I've missed.

First: The week after _Invasion _aired. That week, I lost my motivation.

Second: Exam week. That week, I was busy with exams.

Third: I was on vacation for two weeks.

Fourth: My computer sort of went _kaput_ and was unusable for a short while.

I'm terribly, terribly sorry. Please forgive me.

On another note: Would you guys want me to do a mailbag in the Author's Note? I've seen some people do this, and I was wondering if you all would want me to do one. Please include your vote in a review.

Now, it's time to either work on the next chapter of "Seeing Red" or "Insomnia" (Green Lantern fic).


	17. Part 2: Chapter 6

A/N: I am so grateful for all of the positive feedback I've received! I know that I posted that note two and a half months ago, and I've certainly taken my sweet time in making good on my promise… But no more! There will be more frequent updates, I promise!

I have currently no clue how many chapters will be left in this… Though I know exactly where the story will go, I don't know how long it will take me to get there.

* * *

><p>Kaldur realized up on impact that the water <em>literally <em>rushed up to meet him. He hit the surface much sooner than he should have.

He was startled to find that the instruments in his hands glowed with a blue energy as he descended through the pillar of water of his own making. Finally submerged in what had to be his natural element, the unknowing Atlantean felt a sort of peace that he couldn't remember ever having felt before. It almost made him want to simply swim, swim towards the ocean, swim home. Wherever home was, he had the feeling his instincts would lead him there.

But, at this point, instincts were abandoned. Despite the fact that he couldn't remember, Kaldur still had an innate leadership that drove him to remember his mission. He had jumped in the water to find M'gann. He would find her.

* * *

><p>The four remaining on the bridge fell into defensive stances. This masked man, whoever he was, was obviously bad news.<p>

"Niños. I have been… hired by some very powerful people to bring you back where you belong. And I will return you. Don't make this… harder than it has to be."

Dick curled his lower lip over his teeth and narrowed his eyes, thinking. This man obviously came prepared for a fight. Though Wally had super speed, and Conner had super strength, and Artemis and himself were both clearly able to handle their own in a fight, they were drastically outnumbered. Maybe, if they had more experience as a group, they could win. But, in their current state, winning was nearly out of the question.

In his peripheral vision, he could see the grandmother and her grandchildren; three people who had nothing to do with what was happening. If a fight did happen, they might be casualties. They were the priority; get them out safe.

He held up his hands.

"Alright, fine. We'll go with you. But let the civilians go first."

The masked man's eyes widened. He obviously hadn't expected such an easy surrender. He waved to his forces.

"You heard them. Let the civilians go." He then turned his face back to the four. Dick met his eyes.

The young boy raised a hand to his mouth and coughed a few times, letting himself hunch over. When he stopped, he whispered as quietly as he could; only one person would be able to hear him.

"Take Artemis. Go to the next town and wait. Meet up by midnight tomorrow, or send message if you can't."

Conner cut his eyes at the smaller boy. Dick had one more thing to say.

"On me."

Dick's eyes watched the civilians, who were being ushered out of the danger zone. Conner took a step closer to Artemis. He looked to Wally and then to Dick, who was standing tensely, waiting for just the right moment. Wally tensed up as well, waiting for something, though he didn't know what.

Bane noticed the changes in the teens' movements. He narrowed his eyes, raising his gun slightly.

Just as Dick thought that their opportunity would be lost, he noticed that the civilians were out of sight. He opened his mouth and took in a sharp breath.

In one swift movement, Conner grabbed Artemis and leaped, high over the masked man and his henchmen, and to the other side of the bridge. With another leap, he was over the treeline and gone.

The henchmen were all so busy watching those two that they missed Dick leaping onto Wally's back and screaming "Go!", and the redhead's subsequent sprint in the other direction. By the time everyone had gathered their wits about them, every single one of their targets was gone.

Bane's eyes widened so far, some might have thought that they would literally pop out of his head. He pulled his lips back into a ferocious snarl and kicked the van nearest to him in anger.

"Sir-" The henchman that had started to speak was grabbed by Bane's meaty hands and thrown off of the bridge, spinning into the water below. To continue his tantrum, Bane smashed the engines of two of the vans, pulling the hoods off and throwing them, too, off into the distance. Finally, he pulled the door off of one of the vans, pulled the driver out and threw him to the ground, and drove off.

* * *

><p>The communicator in the van buzzed to life. A cool, low voice came over the speakers.<p>

"You failed me, Bane."

Bane snarled. "You said that they would be _easy_. You said they wouldn't be able to fight back."

"And you insisted on bringing along an army of your _henchmen_." The voice chuckled. "Tell me, were all of you really taken down by a group of children? Even after we supplied you with certain… _necessities?_"

"No." Bane growled. "They ran away."

The masked villain could hear the click of a computer. The voice sighed. "Very well. Return to us, Bane, and we will discuss your compensation, even though you failed in your mission."

Bane reached for the communicator and gripped it tightly, crushing it.

* * *

><p>A man sat alone in a dark room, reviewing the footage from the van cameras of the altercation. He saw where the bus, holding one of the six, went over the bridge. Bane neglected to tell him of that, or of how another one jumped after the bus. He wasn't worried, though. These children were strong enough to survive such an encounter, even without their memories of who, or <em>what<em>, they really were.

The light from the computer glinted off of small glasses as the man leaned closer. There was still a disadvantage to be had, though. Since the Martian girl had been separated from the group, they could no longer track the teens' movements. The four that had remained on the bridge had split up; if they planned on meeting up, the scientists had no way of knowing where.

A long, bony finger pressed the call button, and a voice explained the situation to a colleague, proposing a plan of action that involved continuing to track the Martian girl. They had nothing else to go on, at this point.

* * *

><p>M'gann coughed and sputtered when her body finally realized that there was air to breathe. The water still in her system fought its way up, and she sat up suddenly, retching. A comforting hand rubbed her back.<p>

M'gann turned. _Kaldur? _She grasped her head, the communication giving her a sharp pain about her temples.

"Are you alright, M'gann? Can you stand?" Kaldur asked, concern coloring his deep voice.

M'gann staggered to her feet, uncertainty causing her knees to buckle, but Kaldur supported her. Within moments, she was stable.

"Do you remember anything?" Kaldur said, his question less towards her current state and more towards her actions. He watched in fascination as the gills that had appeared on her neck closed up.

M'gann shook her head, blinking away her migraine.

Kaldur watched her warily; everyone was different in this scenario, but M'gann seemed to have the utmost talent for adapting. They had all realized this before, but her developing gills and then ridding herself of them, seemingly unconsciously, took this to a whole new level.

Did she realize it?

* * *

><p>AN: Not the best chapter to come back on, I'm afraid. This was the one that I had written, but it was deleted, and I liked the previous version so much better!

If you like Homestuck, I have a few Homestuck fanfics on my AO3 account. I will not post Homestuck fanfictions on this account, and I will not post anything from this account on my AO3.


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